Carla Hall's Southern Kitchen to Reopen This Week, Miller's Near & Far Closes, and More Intel

— Carla Hall’s Southern Kitchen is gearing up to reopen this Thursday, September 1. The Chew's co-host Carla Hall and business partner Evan Darnell opened their fried chicken restaurant in the old Whiskey Soda Lounge space back in May, but they were forced to close up shop to deal with some issues with the building earlier this month. On Facebook yesterday, the team offered an update: "After a mechanical electrical failure, we are excited to report a permanent fix is complete and we can resume business! We are anxious to share some southern food love to y'all. Thanks to the community for your support and patience."

— Rivington Street burger bar Miller’s Near & Far closed recently. Now a new operator, Diego Moya, is hoping to open a restaurant called Hemlock. According to a liquor license application, this establishment would serve a seven-course tasting menu for $90. Moya, a veteran of Casa Mono, is one of the chefs behind the Cure Supper Club pop-up.

— Rihanna hopped behind the bar at Up & Down after the VMAs on Sunday night.

— 89-year-old money manager/public speaker Ivan Gelfand is suing the Grand Central Oyster Bar because he claims that he got food poisoning from eating oysters and crabs at the restaurant. The lawsuit mentions that Gelfand had to undergo physical and occupational therapy following his bout with food poisoning.

— Branded plywood is now covering the facade of Maison Kayser’s forthcoming Union Square location at 841 Broadway. It’s slated to open next month.

— The restaurateurs behind The Ainsworth sports bars are vying for the old Yunnan Kitchen/BBQ space on Clinton Street. A liquor license application submitted with the CB3 indicates that this new project, dubbed Clancey, will serve burgers, salads, chicken paillard, and a truffled grilled cheese. The team is hoping to score a full liquor license.

— Milk Bar is now making fancy juice:

#realtalk: cucumber + celery + kale + spinach + lemon = after a weekend of !

A photo posted by milk bar (@milkbarstore) on Aug 29, 2016 at 8:45am PDT

— Gael Greene thinks that Floyd Cardoz’s Paowalla is "great out of the gate." Here’s Gael on a few hits: "My favorites among the small plates — scrambled eggs with caramelized onions and ginger to spread on toasted bread, and outsize calamari brilliantly plumped up with sour plum, onions, red chili, and mustard seeds — are easy. Though you might want to be sure the lush goat cheese-stuffed squash blossoms have cooled a bit before you take a bite that burns your mouth."

— State Senator Jose Peralta wants the SLA to put a one-year ban on new liquor licenses on Roosevelt Avenue between 74th and 114th streets in Queens. At a press conference yesterday, Peralta remarked: "Traditional bars and restaurants make Roosevelt Avenue and its nightlife an attractive place to dine and have a drink....But when night falls, the corridor metamorphoses into a noisy and salacious place, which is undesirable for area residents."

— Shauna Lyon of Tables for Two is a big fan of Liz Johnson’s cooking at Village hot spot Mimi: "Decadence rules the day. Even the most innocuous-sounding fish—a gorgeous hunk of mérou (a.k.a. grouper)—has been drenched in butter. It is silky-soft, alongside buttered clams and shishito peppers, some of which have been stuffed with brandade, battered, and fried."

— Tickets for a LGBT for Hillary fundraiser at Cipriani this month hosted by Barbara Streisand run from $1,200 to $250,000.

— And finally, here’s a look at five treats from Morgenstern's on the Lower East Side: